Wednesday, October 22, 2008

(Venice, Italy) When you find yourself in the same room as a Saudi Arabian Prince, the CEO of a major oil corporation, and too many Ministers, Advisors and Professors, et al, to mention, life can seem a bit surreal.

I had the great privilege to attend the Eurogolfe Forum for Human Development Under the Patronage of the French Presidency of the European Union and the Qatar Presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council held at the Giorgio Cini Foundation on October 16 - 18 entitled: EUROPE, THE GULF AND THE MEDITERRANEAN Reviving Common Legacies, Mapping Our New Region. Doesn't that sound weighty and impressive? Well, it was!

First, the Eurogolfe Forum wishes to send the World a message, which is:

The conflict between Israel and Palestine must end.

More on that later.

To give you an idea of the level of human beings in attendance, His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal was one of the speakers. Prince Turki is the former Director of GID, which is Saudi Arabia's premiere intelligence agency (similar to the CIA in America). He was the Kingdom's former Ambassador to the United States -- until he abruptly resigned in December, 2006 after only 15 months on the job -- as well as to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Prince Turki is the youngest son of the Saudi Arabian King Faisal, who was assassinated on March 25, 1975, and the nephew of the present King. He came to the Forum in his capacity as the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. After hearing Prince Turki speak, my immediate reaction was that I was in the presence of someone truly royal -- before I understood who he was.

Inviting Cat Bauer to a Forum like this was a brilliant idea because I come with very little baggage -- it is like inviting Alice to Wonderland -- and I am going to give you my honest impressions, as simply as I can.

First, like many Americans, I have very little sense of geography. To me, the entire Gulf region was a vague black hole filled with scary Muslims. Let's take a look at a map so we can get our bearings. It is difficult to find a good map, but I have permission from GraphicMaps.com to use theirs -- it is clean and simple and not cluttered with politics. Thank you, John O. Moen! (If you go to their site http://www.graphicmaps.com/ that little "WIN $100.00 HERE" sticker is a geography quiz, which, perhaps, many of us should take:)

Okay. That is the theatre, and those are the key players in this drama. Take a good look so you can put things into perspective. Really look at Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Iran, just where they are physically. Look at the Mediterranean Sea with respect to the Persian Gulf.

One of my mottos is "It's the Divine Comedy, not the Divine Tragedy." Let's be honest -- we all can agree that the world would be much more pleasant if Israel and Palestine stopped fighting. It is as if dinosaurs are battling in slow motion, and the entire planet is weary of the dynamics. Let's have two defined states already! Sure, it sounds frightening, but at least it is a decision. Then we take it from there.

Speaking of dinosaurs, let us not forget that dead dinosaurs help create oil itself, a non-renewable resource. The importance of investing in renewable resources was also a topic of discussion. Imagine, again, how different the world would be if we seriously incorporated renewable resources into the existing structure. To me, that resource should be the Sun. If I were an emerging nation with plenty of oil, I would sell my oil to other countries and switch my energy over to the Sun.

The attendees were mostly men, speaking from their hearts and their minds. It was fascinating to watch because I have never been in that environment before, and it was an honor to have a glimpse into their world. These were enlightened, reasonable people, on the whole. After pondering for days, I have arrived at a conclusion: what the Middle East needs is a female ruler. After Benazir Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan, however, perhaps I am being too naive to think that dream can become a reality.

Here is an excerpt from a Message from Nicolas Sarkozy, who is the President of the French Republic, and the current President of the Council of the European Union:

"The fourth edition of the Eurogolfe Forum in Venice today brings together political and economic leaders, academics, artists, intellectuals, students and representatives of civil society from the European Union and member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council. This diversity is evidence of the quality of the dialogue established between our two regions which are linked by the Mediterranean area. ... (again, look at the map)

...Choosing Venice to hold the Forum speaks to us all: Venice is the symbol of a maritime civilization with exceptional cultural outreach which, as a trading seaport, brought together the East and the West, the Latin, Greek, Arab and Turkish worlds, Christendom, Islam and Judaism. Venice is the magnificent outcome of a shared culture sustained by the exchange of men, ideas and goods."

It is amazing, isn't it, that a physically small area such as Venice -- it is about the size of Central Park; you can walk across it in about half an hour -- had, and still has, such enormous impact on the planet? It seems larger because it lies at the junction of two fractals, according to Andrew Crompton & Frank Brown, who wrote an abstract about it entitled The Double Fractal Structure of Venice for the Space Syntax 6 Conference in Istanbul last year.

So, for those of you who insist on calling Venice, "Disneyland," you can be sure that world leaders do not attend the Eurogolfe Forum in Disneyland. You must open your eyes, and make an effort to do your homework -- Venice is a microcosm of the macrocosm. If you see Venice as Disneyland, that says more about you than it says about Venice. More from President Sarkozy:

"Venetian history, with its tragedies and boon periods, wars and works of art, is a mirror that reflects the challenges still facing the Mediterranean, Europe and the Gulf. The European Union is an unprecedented area of peace and prosperity in the Old World, a force of stability that prevails throughout the European environment through its economic strength and cultural outreach. Owing to plentiful oil supplies and financial liquidities, the Gulf Cooperation Council member States are becoming a new centre of our multipolar world where the media, banks, sovereign wealth funds, universities and museums have a growing impact on the major global flows of goods and images."

I think that Gilles Kepel, the Chairman of EuroGolfe and Professor of Middle-East Mediterranean Studies at Sciences-Po in Paris, and who organized the Forum, is on his way to sainthood. At the end of the Forum he gave special thanks to his students, saying it gave him comfort that they were a brighter generation. He said, "Bury me," in Arabic, which is a compliment:)

After taking time to digest what I experienced, I think a sincere effort is being made by sophisticated, caring people to reach out and create a New World. The financial market has deconstructed. The American Presidential elections are next month. New countries are emerging. We must accept that there is a New World being created in front of our eyes. I think it is our responsibility as members of the human race to do our part to create this New World based on genuine creative principals, using the highest qualities of the Old World upon which to build the foundation. Now, we have all heard all the conspiracy theories about a New World Order. I can only say one thing: listen to your hearts, and arrive at your own conclusions.

The Forum was held in English, with no translation, and, if my memory serves me correctly, everyone followed the rule except Giovanni Bazoli, the President of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, who spoke in Italian, Hubert Védrine, the Former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who insisted on speaking in French -- in fact, declared how nice it was to hear French in the Tapestry Room -- and Prince Turki, who, after speaking in English for most of the conference, insisted on reading the message from his King in Arabic. (Gilles Kepel, who seems to be fluent in everything, translated, with a touch of weariness, whenever necessary.) I loved observing the dynamics when they interacted with each other, and to see that they were actual human beings with strengths and weaknesses.

Over and over again the speakers said that it is time to be transparent and honest so that we can do other things. Too many people have been lying and refusing to do their jobs in the proper fashion. That we cannot survive in a fortress. That this is a critical moment that cannot be underestimated. That the commodity we need is confidence.

A couple of days before I went to the Forum, I had the opportunity to speak, briefly, with Luca Francesconi, who is the new Director of the Music Section of La Biennale. He said something that struck me, and I think it's pertinent to this Forum. He said, "There is nothing left to deconstruct. Instead of destroying, it is time to create. We have an ethical mission to create."

I have heard this profound desire expressed by so many influential leaders who have recently passed through Venice, and it is my profound desire, also -- to create, not destroy. They have all expressed frustration with the status quo, or, even worse, the deliberate attempt to hold onto power by use of lies, intimidation and fear.

HRH Prince Faisal Bin Salman, another member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, said they were reaching out to the world. They said they felt they had been wrongly portrayed and would like to correct the situation -- "not to please others, but to present ourselves." They are working with women and have done things like invite female Scandinavian poets to meet with their Saudi counterparts, and exhibited Saudi female photographers so they could see things from the Saudi-woman perspective.

Honestly, the speaker who impressed me the most was Prince Turki. He spoke quite strongly about wanting to have a new dialogue and not play on humanity's fears to score cheap political points. He said that Europe and the Arab countries have much to share with each other. He truly seemed to want an international peace based on tolerance, understanding, sound business practices, and the building of bridges between the cultures -- not by imposing one culture upon another, but to sincerely make an effort to understand our individual cultures.

To see who all the speakers were, and the program, please go to Eurogolfe's website:

It would be impossible to summarize the huge amount of information that was imparted, so I will focus on the most important message that the Forum wishes to transmit, an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Another reason the Forum was held in Venice is because 28 years ago, on June 10 & 11, 1980, all the European Chiefs of State met at that very place -- the Giorgio Cini Foundation -- and created The Venice Declaration, which stated the same thing: Palestine has a right to self-determination, and there must be two separate states. Then there were only nine members; today there are 27 members of the European Union, and they feel more strongly than ever. The world is ready. The players are ready. Mothers from both sides who have lost their children appeal for help. The West Bank appeals for help. Everybody is tired. The world could rest. They want to enforce the 1967 resolution, which gives 78% of the land to Israel and 22% to Palestine.

Now, when someone with legitmacy appeals for help, I strongly feel that we have a moral obligation to help them!

I think we should go back to the Sumerians to really understand what's going on. Here is a map from Encarta, with today's countries outlined in white.

Let us not forget that the goddess Inanna-Ishtar had some prime real estate here in this region:) My greatest peeve with this Forum was the under-representation of women. To me, if you want Progress in the World, you are going to have to open that window, too. For the most part, the handful of women who were at the Forum were intelligent, well-spoken and dignified. To me, women are a great under-utilized natural resource, and that must be corrected.

I deliberately try to avoid politics and religion, but by attending a Forum such as this, I was forced to cram in an intense period of catch-up just to write this blog. At my gut level, I feel there is a bit of... confusion about the United States, and the true intention of its people, and who, exactly, we are -- there was little representation from the US at the Forum. Americans are, by nature, helpful and accepting of different cultures, otherwise a man like Barack Obama could not be a Presidential candidate. Americans have not been exposed to what the reality of the world situation is, and I think they are slowly realizing this.

I think that the EU and the GCC could influence America by use of Soft Power (see how I've picked up the lingo?:) For example, as a novelist, I yearn to publish first here in Europe and/or the Gulf in English, and sell first here -- where I have lived for ten years -- and then sell to the United States. I, personally, am another under-utilized resource here in Europe, and I am certainly not the only one. American writers for young people, together with librarians, teachers and scholars, are an organized, vocal group, capable of major impact. That is just one example, but all over America you can find artists, film makers, musicians, etc., with sympathetic voices, willing to help, just as there are in Europe and the Middle East. Just as Saudi Arabia feels like it has been misrepresented, I, as an American, feel that we have been misrepresented. I, too, strongly believe that the situation can be improved by being open and honest, and I am certain there are many Americans who feel the same way.

I would love to see the EU and the GCC work with Americans to solve the world's problems. What Americans need is accurate information. Forgive me if it sounds simplistic, but, to me, the way to influence the government of America is by educating the human beings that make up America -- if the name of the Forum is "Human Development," well, Americans are human beings also. Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I believe that if France took the lead on this -- in the spirit of enlightenment, not competition -- the other countries would follow. After all, if it wasn't for France, there wouldn't be a United States of America.

No matter how diverse our cultures, we all do have a common language: it is the language of the heart.

P.S. The nice thing about a blog is that it is like clay, and can be molded and changed as days go by. If you have read this before, you will see that I have been searching for a title, and decided on H.G. Wells' 1923 novel, Men Like Gods, about an Utopian world where Lying is the Blackest Crime. For those of you who haven't read it, Project Gutenberg of Australia has made it available online:

Monday, October 13, 2008

Award-winning author Cat Bauer has lived in Venice since 1998, and is still learning how to navigate the labyrinth. Her blog, Venetian Cat, has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine.

Are you wondering what I have been up to? I hope so! I have a very good excuse for being lax, which is that I am now the Venice Insider for ninemsn, Australia's number-one interactive media company. It just went live yesterday, October 13, 2008. Please have a look:

Channel 9 is an Australian television channel, but they write it "nine." (If you are American, compare it to NBC or CBS or ABC.) This is from their site (they do not capitalize "nine"):

"About ninemsn
ninemsn is Australia's number-one interactive media company. Over 8.6 million people* visit ninemsn each month, representing 73 per cent of active Australian Internet users. ninemsn is the Australian home to popular Microsoft products such as Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Search and delivers well-known content from the Nine Network programs including Getaway, the Today Show, A Current Affair and National Nine News. It also represents popular Australian Consolidated Press (ACP) magazine titles online, including Ralph, Cleo, The Bulletin and Woman's Day. Across the entire network and over a range of categories, ninemsn aims to deliver content that informs, entertains and engages its audience. * Source: Nielsen NetView November 2007."

I have never been to Australia, but the first man I fell in love with was Australian, so I do have first-hand experience with the culture, which I will describe as "zesty, individualistic." I was quite old, age 27 -- I am very particular with my love. He is now in Paradiso, hopefully watching from above. So, this one's for you, Barry!

It was hard work because it required that I go against my artistic inclinations, but, as anyone who knows me can testify, I am capable of putting my nose to the grindstone when the need arises. Since the world-as-we-know-it is in the process of deconstruction, I switched into pragmatic-mode and produced (hopefully) an informative guide as to What's Real here in the Magic Kingdom. I had a short amount of time in which to perform this feat (about three weeks). In addition, I was working under extreme duress. One example: my beloved Apple G4 12" Screen Powerbook was ailing during the Venice Film Festival, and then died a mysterious death in the middle of the ninemsn effort. It was sad, because I had personified her, and called her, affectionately, "GeeFour." Apple does not make 12 inch G4s anymore. (That is not my G4 in the photo, but a distant relative -- they all look alike, but, of course, their souls are different, depending on the owner:)

So, every day I ran over to the Internet Point to work. The people who worked inside the shop were so simpatici, they deserve a mention. My office-away-from-home was what used to be the Gas Store here in San Polo, and is now in the process of becoming... something else. They sell clothes, play hip music, and have five computers inside the store -- the kids who work there are incredibly cool. For instance, after I wrote the Natalie Portman piece (GO: http://venetiancat.blogspot.com/2008/09/lets-talk-about-stars-venice-film.html) one of the employees told me he had walked Natalie Portman over to our local Giorgioni Theatre a couple of nights before, where she stood in line with everyone else to buy her ticket. Ha! Yes! That is why she couldn't attend the fabulous ball -- she was busy being a human being!

I don't know the address of the internet point, so I am going to run over there right now. I will be right back.

Okay. Now I am back. I will describe my journey, so you can better understand Venice. On my way over, I poked my head into Do Mori, which is one of our oldest... bars... kinda, sorta. There, inside, was Count Francesco da Mosto. It is the full moon as I write this, so my energy is a little wild. I bubbled all over Francesco that I had put him on the ninemsn website (GO:http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=645212) and then apologized to the people whose conversation I had interrupted.

Then I had an ombra with some Venetians, a red wine ombra, which is a little glass of red wine. Ombra means shadow, in the sense of shade from the sun. So, we drank some shadows together and we cracked some jokes, one of which was "all intelligent Americans live in Europe," and then I continued on my journey.

Here is the info: The name of the Internet Point is Gas Point, and the address is 1572 Calle dei Boteri, which runs parallel to the main drag, Ruga Rialto, but further back. The cool Venetian kids are Francesca and Alberto. So, if you need to use the internet by Rialto, go there. Or if you want to buy some Gas clothes, or whatever kind of clothes, for reasonable prices, go there.

Then, on my way back, I stopped inside my Friendly Local Neighborhood Tobacco Shop owned by a young married Venetian couple, Cristiano and Claudia, who doesn't like her name because it is based on "Claudius," the Roman emperor who, although having some excellent qualities, was cruel and deformed. (I can assure you that the Claudia inside the Friendly Neighborhood Tobacco Shop is beautiful and sweet, especially because I often see her interact with her husband, Cristiano, side by side.) Inside the shop was Gino, who is one of the sons of Antica Drogheria Mascari. (G0: http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=645207.) I said, "You are on ninemsn. Over eight point six million readers per month. It went live yesterday." He said, "How much do I have to pay?" I said, "You should pay, but it is gratis. No, wait. You must give me some chocolate." Instantly, he handed me some chocolate. Seriously! I had interrupted him in the process of slicing chocolate with a penknife -- I don't know why he was doing it -- he was behind the counter, so I couldn't see. Now, Gino does not belong in the tobacco shop behind the counter. He belongs inside Mascari behind the counter, so, the fact that he was inside the tobacco shop was a little strange to begin with, and that he was slicing chocolate at the precise moment I asked for it was even stranger. He said, "You must write that I pay immediately upon demand." I stuck the chocolate in my pocket, and he scolded me. He said, "You cannot put chocolate in your pocket. It will ruin your jacket." I said, "I want to eat it at home."

Now I am home, and I have eaten the chocolate. And that, my dears, is Venice.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

(Venice, Italy) Palladio! That image you see (photo by Sara Jane Boyers, who is working with the CIA and/or the US State Department, and who manipulated me into allowing her to take privileged photos at the time I wrote this blog on Oct. 2, 2008*) is me aligning myself with a beam of Palladian energy from a circle high up in the ceiling over at the Church of Redentore (now, don't go running over there asking to beam up, too, because it is behind the scenes:) Even though our dear Earth has lovely scenery, I will do anything to get off this planet. Beam me up, Scottie!

Seriously, I became intrigued after I went to the Palladian Gala back in July, and stumbled into the lecture by Professor Guido Beltramini, and learned about the anti-Palladio movement by architects in Vicenza. To read my reaction, go here:

I was very much looking forward to the exhibit in Vicenza, which opened on September 20th. I was fortunate enough to score an invitation to the Gala the night before, but when we arrived, we were told we were too late for entry -- and we were late. There was heavy traffic that day from Venice to Vicenza. They would not let us in. Security was tight because there were many Heads of State and folks of that ilk inside. They told us to go over to the exhibit, which we did (not easy to clatter around Vicenza in high heels!). I was anticipating all sorts of things -- blood-red color on the pillars, fauns on the floor, clues as to how Thomas Jefferson built Montecello, revelations of Jungian proportions about the subconcious mind finally revealed -- but I must have missed it. I guess I have to go again. If any of you readers out there would like to illuminate me, your comments would be most welcome.

The latest information I can find about the Palladio Exhibition Tour was given to me at the British Pavillion at La Biennale International Architecture Exhibition -- as I write this, even the official Palladio website seems to have incorrect info, which says: "It will open in Vicenza, (palazzo Barbaran da Porto, 20 September 2008 – 6 January 2009), it will then move to London (Royal Academy of Arts, 31 January – 13 April 2009) and will close in the United States of America in Autumn 2009." http://www.andreapalladio500.it/ (click English after the intro)

In any event, we will make due with some images taken by my former "friend," the "photographer/writer," Sara Jane Boyers. We went over to Redentore the other day. I was particularly intrigued by Professor Beltramini's statement about there being underground chambers in Palladio's buildings. When I was a child, we had a basement below the ground, and it always scared me. We used to keep canned goods down there, and my mother would tell me to go down and get a can of tomatoes or peas. As I closed the cupboard, I would feel something dark behind my back and ran back up those steps as if the devil himself were chasing me. To be honest, I found it thrilling. There is something mysteriously satisfying about descending to a room below the earth, running up the stairs, and then bursting back into the light.

I knew there was a type of underground room at Redentore -- which is truly peculiar, since we have all sorts of problems with high water and flooding. How could there be an underground chamber in Venice? It seems impossible. Yet, there it is, in that photo over there on the right.

The windows are deceptive because the bottoms of the sills are closer to the ground than they appear -- in other words, they are almost level with the pavement outside. Therefore, if my memory serves me correctly, the room itself is below the ground almost immediately beneath the windows. It's not like descending into a deep, dark basement, but part of that room is underground. There is an ancient irrigation system that keeps the water out.

The Capuchin friars use the underground room to pray in the winter because it is warmer than their small, sparse church, Saint Mary of the Angels, built in 1536 -- about 50 years before the Redentore itself. The Capuchin friars are humble by nature, so they are more comfortable in their little church. On the altar is a copy on wood of Rocco Marconi's 14th century "Madonna and Child with Saints Gerolamo and Francesco." As you can see, their private church is not grand like Redentore -- and even that, compared to other churches, is lacking in ornamentation.

Here is something about Redentore that I wrote back in 2003 for the International Herald Tribune's Italy Daily:

"Known for its absence of ornate funeral monuments, the austerity of the church's interior was a result of the Capuchins' insistence that their vow of poverity be respected. The Venetian Senate ultimately consented and decreed that no burials should ever take place inside the church, thus providing an uncluttered view of the white luminous purity and harmonious lines of Palladio's original design."

If you look at that photo of Redentore's interior (taken from Wikipedia), you will understand a bit what the fuss is all about. Those pillars were originally red. They have been painted white. Red pillars inside the Church of Redentore is a whole other church. Gone is the "white luminous purity."

This is from a September 19, 2008 article from ANSA, which is sort of like the Associated Press. It refers to the Church of San Giorgio, but during the tour I was on in July inside Redentore, the professor said the pillars in Redentore were also red:

"Of particular interest was the discovery by top Palladian experts from Italy, France, Britain, Germany, Spain and the US that the Renaissance architect had a hitherto unknown penchant for occasional colour. Palladio's classical Roman designs are famous for their white simplicity but the latest research suggests that a number of works originally incorporated splashes of red.Traces of red paint have been found on several famous buildings designed by Palladio, including the Church of St. George in Venice, whose columns were repainted white in the mid-1600s. Experts are now convinced that an important element of Palladio's original design for the church was the contrast between its fiery red columns and their brilliant white bases."

What does it mean? Why were they painted over? I will leave it to the scholars to interpret the meaning of red pillars in a white church.

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About Me

Award-winning author Cat Bauer (HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON; HARLEY'S NINTH - Alfred A. Knopf) has lived in Venice, Italy since 1998. She was a regular contributor to the International Herald Tribune's Italian supplement, Italy Daily, published with Corriere della Sera. Venetian Cat - Venice Blog has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine, and is read in 190 countries & territories, and 154 languages.

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TIPS FOR MOVING AROUND VENICE

As featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine

Imagine you are a car. That is how to move around Venice. Imagine the calli are roads. If you behave like a car, then you will cause less impact on the environment.

1. Stay to the right when walking (even if you are British:). Please! Pass slow moving creatures on the left.

2. Do not sit on the bridges, never, under any circumstances whatsoever. One person sitting on a bridge can cause a traffic jam for miles. Would you stop on the Golden Gate Bridge?

3. Before stopping, look both ways, plus, in front and behind, and make sure there is no one else around. Do not stop short. Someone could rear-end you.

4. Think in terms of campi. Move from campo to campo, not calle to calle. When you get to a campo, then you can stop and see where you are, have a seat, some coffee, a spritz, and relax. A campo is a rest area, a scenic stop.

So, put that all together. You walk along the calle, staying to the right. If a shop catches your fancy, you slowly pause, sensing if there is anyone around you, then pull over on the right. When you are done, you merge back in the flow. Then you arrive at a campo. You find a nice table, order a drink, take out your map, and see where you are. It is a wonderful ballet.

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Europa Nostra Winner! Wonders of Venice

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Category Research and Digitization

Wonders of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures in St. Mark’s Area, ITALY“This digitization project much impressed the Jury. A multilingual platform (10 languages), accessible on a wide range of media, it aids promotional events and research, and is useful to both experts and tourists alike. The challenges of complexity, the distinction between the real and the virtual, a range of academic disciplines and various objects, are all successfully incorporated into this highly commendable and valuable project.”

Venice Biennale 2015: The artists and artworks to look out for - a bluffer's guide

What to Expect - Venice Biennale 2015

The A-listers: Part of the fun of the opening week is spotting the biggest art world names as they negotiate the grid-locked canals and VIP parties. The collectors tend to be the most high-profile, with Elton John a regular sighting (he has a home in the city), and fashion billionaires Miuccia Prada and François Pinault (husband of actress Salma Hayek and owner of Gucci) hosting exhibitions in their palazzos on the Grand Canal.GO TO THE INDEPENDENT

India & Pakistan to Share Pavilion at Venice Biennale

My East is Your West

My East is Your West

"The pairing is significant given the history of conflicts between India and Pakistan."

Russian engineering entrepreneur buys The Art Newspaper

DFS Luxury Group Comes to Rialto

Groundbreaking International Shopping at its Best

The Luxury of DFS to Come to Rialto

DFS Group announces ground-breaking move into Europe in historic Venice

“We will showcase the best of what Venice and indeed, Italy has to offer the world – a unique culture and the city’s long tradition of exceptional craftsmanship. Our cultural programme will include entertainment as well as a curated selection of products, brands and services that together will provide a memorable and sought-after experience.”

Rare Book Scandal Gets Deeper

ART FORGERIES have long been the stuff of thrillers, with fake da Vincis or Vermeers fooling connoisseurs, roiling the art world, and moving millions of dollars. We don’t think of ancient books driving such grand forgery, intrigue, and schadenfreude. This is changing thanks in part to a clever forgery of Galileo’s landmark book Sidereus Nuncius, published in Venice in 1610.

Venice is the champion

Google Arts Project

Rialto out of fashion?

WSJ spots "new" trend in Venice

Venice Center for Russian State Hermitage

Hermitage-Italy

Russia Culture in Piazza San Marco

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta were present today, November 26, in Trieste, when Giorgio Orsoni, the Mayor of Venice and Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Director-General of the State Hermitage Museum signed the agreement ratifying the Memorandum of Understanding for opening the Cultural and Scientific Center "Ermitage Italy" in Venice.

Burano in the Huffington Post

Island of Lace

One for All and All for One

Made in Italy

All Eyes on Rialto!

Restoration Kicks Off

Protesters Jump into the Canal

EVERYONE IN THE LAGOON!

Protesters jump in Canal

Protesters dive into Venice's canal to block cruise ships

Protesters have leapt into Venice's Giudecca canal to delay a procession of cruise ships, which they say are threatening the city's foundations as they tower over rooftops and drown the city in tourism.

Around 50 protesters dressed in wetsuits, backed by 1,000 supporters, managed to hold up the cruise ships by over an hour as they paddled in the canal – some armed with inflatable rings.CLICK TO READ THE TELEGRAPH

Moses is Corrupt

Consorzio Venezia Nuova BUSTED

The Coming Death of Venice?

From the New York Review of Books

The Reports of my Death are Greatly Exaggerated

The Coming Death of Venice?

In 1987, Venice was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at which point it was supposed to come up with a management plan. This March, the City Council finally presented it to the public. Its purpose, the council said, was to “define the strategies and choose the ways of putting them into practice through action plans.” Unfortunately, the document fails almost completely in both these objectives because its authors have funked all the big issues.

Listen to the Mediterranean

“Habitual drinkers” who followed the Mediterranean diet in the latest study were given the option of downing at leastseven glasses per week with meals. A small carafe is part of a balanced Mediterranean breakfast for the centenarian residents of Ikaria, a Greek island where people reach the age of 90 at nearly three times the rate that Americans do. According to a recent study, they enjoy up to four glasses of wine per day. - See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/27/eat-like-a-greek-the-mediterranean-diet-that-could-save-your-life.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet#sthash.xwuRC5mo.dpuf

When a major clinical trial is cut short because it would be “unethical to continue,” it’s safe to say the findings could be life-changing for participants. In the case of a monumental new study measuring how a Mediterranean diet—versus a low-fat diet—affected heart disease among people at high risk, the results were so clearly in favor of the former that researchers ended the trial early. - See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/27/eat-like-a-greek-the-mediterranean-diet-that-could-save-your-life.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet#sthash.xwuRC5mo.dpuf

“Habitual drinkers” who followed the Mediterranean diet in the latest study were given the option of downing at leastseven glasses per week with meals. - See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/27/eat-like-a-greek-the-mediterranean-diet-that-could-save-your-life.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet#sthash.xwuRC5mo.dpuf

Red wine, in “moderation,” has for some time been thought of as heart-healthy, brimming with antioxidants that may help protect the lining of blood vessels and prevent blood clots. “Habitual drinkers” who followed the Mediterranean diet in the latest study were given the option of downing at leastseven glasses per week with meals. A small carafe is part of a balanced Mediterranean breakfast for the centenarian residents of Ikaria, a Greek island where people reach the age of 90 at nearly three times the rate that Americans do. According to a recent study, they enjoy up to four glasses of wine per day. - See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/27/eat-like-a-greek-the-mediterranean-diet-that-could-save-your-life.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet#sthash.xwuRC5mo.dpuf

“Habitual drinkers” who followed the Mediterranean diet in the latest study were given the option of downing at leastseven glasses per week with meals. A small carafe is part of a balanced Mediterranean breakfast for the centenarian residents of Ikaria, a Greek island where people reach the age of 90 at nearly three times the rate that Americans do. According to a recent study, they enjoy up to four glasses of wine per day. - See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/27/eat-like-a-greek-the-mediterranean-diet-that-could-save-your-life.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet#sthash.xwuRC5mo.dpuf

Mediterranean Diet Rules!

Delicious and Nutritious

Olive Oil, Fish & Wine are Fine

Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke

About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables, and even drink wine with meals, a large and rigorous new study has found.

Venice - Too Hot to Handle

FINALLY CONVICTED - The CIA gets Busted in Italy

Romance Rules in Venice

NO TORTURE IN ITALY!

Italy Agrees: TORTURE IS OFFENSIVE

Australia Gets New Pavilion

With Private Money

Giorgia Boscolo

Venice's First Female Gondolier

Giorgia Boscolo Rows into Venetian Hearts

(12 maggio 2012 - Venice, Italy)

Yesterday, I took the traghetto over to San Tomà and met Giorgia Boscola for the first time. After nearly a millenium, the exclusive male world of the gondolieri accepted a woman as one of their own in 2010. The daughter of a gondolier, Giorgia is continuing the tradition. She's vibrant and friendly, greating passengers with a warm buon giorno, which is refreshing. When I asked her how it felt to be surrounded by so many men, the mother of two said, "I grew up with them, so it is like having hundreds of uncles."

"...Boscolo has dismissed critics who have questioned whether women would be strong enough to control the large boats.

'Childbirth is much more difficult,' she said."

Luxury Made in the Veneto

Bottega Veneta

Diana and Callisto

National Gallery & National Galleries of Scotland Score Titian

The Bridge of Sighs is Smiling

Photo: Nino Barbieri

Venetian Cat at the Top!

Easy Jet Top 10

Venetian Cat in Easy Jet Top 10

I'm very pleased to be one of Easy Jet Holidays Top 10 Travel blogs:
"Always at the bleeding edge of what’s happening in Venice Venetian Cat writes about the cultural goings on there, too often missed by even the most enthusiastic tourists – Musing on the curious meeting of East and West through history in Venice, Cat discusses a visiting Chinese opera at the Goldoni Theater in Venice."

Venice Haute Couture

La Bottega dei Mascareri

Incentive Harmony

Bistrot de Venise

BY THE WAY...

Arlecchino - Servant of Two Masters

Live Show at the Goldoni Theater

Venice Biennale Art 2015

JENNY HOLZER at the Correr Museum

War Paintings

Jenny Holzer - War Paintings

Jenny Holzer has transferred declassified US government documents about the War on Terror after 9/11 and transformed them into silk-screened and hand-painted oil on linen paintings. A collateral event of the 56th Venice Biennale.

NEW OBJECTIVITY at Museo Correr

Art in Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic 1919-1933

NEW OBJECTIVITY - German art at Museo Correr

In the pause between the World Wars in Germany were the turbulent years of the Weimar Republic. Together with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the exhibition presents 150 works that capture the shift to a new realism. Excellent.

NEW OBJECTIVITY Art in Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic 1919-1933

CY TWOMBLY at Ca' Pesaro

Paradise

Cy Twombly - Ca' Pesaro

PARADISE explores 60 years of one of the greatest master of contemporary art. Cy Twombly's work as a painter and sculptor is the subject of this major monographic exhibition. CY TWOMBLYPARADISEMay 6 to Sept 22, 2015

Slip of the Tongue at Punta della Dogana

Curated by Danh Vo

Punta della Dogana

A Slip of the Tongue is what happens when you let an artist curate an exhibition in a huge space like Punta della Dogana. Danh Vo is the first artist that the Pinault Collection ever invited to curate. I thought it was totally cool -- after I figured out how his brain worked.A Slip of the TongueApr 4 to Dec 31Punta della Dogana

Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti

Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti

GLASS STRESS - White Light/White HeatGlasstress 2015 - Gotika

A collateral event of the Biennale International Contempory Art Festival. Contemporary glass design. Together with the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersberg and Berengo Studio, Venice.

Palazzo Mocenigo

Palazzo Mocenigo

The Storp family founded Drom Fragrances in Munich in 1911, and have a passion for rare, exquisite perfume bottles. Their collection, which dates from the Middle Ages up to today, celebrates the ancient art.

Palazzo Mocenigo has been restored with an itinerary dedicated to the history of fragrances in Italy. Ancient scents waft throughout the rooms showcasing Venetian fabric, textiles and fashion.

Cini Foundation Opens its Doors

Guided Tours

Giorgio Cini monumental complex open to visitors

Located on the Island of San Giorgio, the Giorgio Cini complex is one of my favorite places on the entire planet, full of treasures that reflect the highest qualities of mankind. On Saturdays and Sundays, the monumental complex is open to visitors from 10.00 to 16.00, every hour: guided tours in Italian: at 10, 12, 14, 16 guided tours in English or French: 11, 13, 15 During weekdays, guided tours are for groups of at least 12 people, upon reservation.

Imperial Rooms at Museo Correr

Audience Room

Imperial Rooms of the Royal Palace in Venice

My favorite Empress, the non-conformist Elisabeth ("Sissi") of Austria, actually lived in Venice for a period of time inside the Royal Palace, which is now the Museo Correr. Thanks to the Comité Français pour la Savegarde de Venise, Sissi's rooms have been restored and are now open to the public. The simple, elegant decoration of the rooms goes back to the Hapsberg period, with touches of the Napoleonic age.

SimonSeeks Recommended blog

Ca' Giustinian Biennale Headquarters

Ca' Giustinian - Biennale Headquarters

[Secret: the terrace at Ca' Giustinian is a reasonably-priced place to have lunch, or a spritz, while overlooking the Grand Canal. If the weather is not fine, inside is the L'Ombra del Leone (Shadow of the Lion). All are welcome.]